Holy Nine Martyrs of Kyzikos in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

These most divine martyrs, who were gathered from various places and came to Kyzikos, put the ruler to shame by the courage of their mind and rejected with abhorrence the delusion of the idols. For this they were subjected to various tortures, without of course being persuaded to change. On the contrary: they offered themselves as a living sacrifice to the true God, whereupon they were put to death by the sword.

The Holy Nine Martyrs who contended in Kyzikos depict the nine immaterial ranks of the angels. This means: just as the angels unceasingly glorify the Triune God, always being ready in obedience to His all-holy will, in the same way these also: while they lived in this life, they obeyed the will of the Lord, and indeed they offered even their very life for His sake; therefore they were granted by Him to glorify Him together with the angels unceasingly in heaven. The Verses of the Synaxarion of the Saints, as well as many troparia from the odes, present this truth. 

“An image of the nine immaterial angelic ranks, are the nine men whose heads were cut off.” 

“By divine laws, being strengthened by the might of the Spirit, you cast down the counsels and the snares of the lawless; and having struggled lawfully, you attained glory.” (Ode 3).

April: Day 28: Teaching 3: Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker

April: Day 28: Teaching 3:*
Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker
 
(On the Benefit of Remembering God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker from his youth began to serve God. For his exemplary life in the monastery he was chosen as abbot and was granted the gift of working miracles, for which reason he was also called a Wonderworker. Once, in a dry and waterless desert, he brought forth a spring from the earth; several times he saved sailors from drowning; by a word he drove away locusts, and so on.

“Memnon” in Russian means mindful, a name which the Venerable one did not bear in vain, for he always remembered God, lived piously, and for this reason was also deemed worthy of the gift of working miracles.

April: Day 28: Teaching 2: The Holy Nine Martyrs of Kyzikos

April: Day 28: Teaching 2:
The Holy Nine Martyrs of Kyzikos
 
(On the Benefit of Turning in Time of Illness with Prayer to the Holy Martyrs)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On April 29* the holy Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Nine Martyrs who suffered in Kyzikos. The city of Kyzikos stood on the seashore. Because of persecutions there were few Christians in it. Many of them fled to the mountains and deserts, while others, living among the pagans, concealed their piety and faith in the Lord. But some, greatly loving Christ their God, themselves gave themselves into the hands of the tormentors and laid down their lives for Christ. Such were the nine martyrs: Theodosios, Rufus, Antipater, Theostichos, Artemas, Magnus, Theodotos, Thaumasios, and Philemon. Not fearing the terrible royal commands and the fear of tortures, they glorified Christ, boldly confessed Him as God and Almighty, reproached the impiety of idols, and exhorted the unbelievers to believe in the true God. The pagans bound them as criminals and brought them before the ruler governing the city. The Holy Martyrs endured various torments and punishments; they were thrown into prison, brought out again, and again tortured. But they firmly confessed the Lord, exposed the pagans, and put the ruler to shame. After various torments their heads were cut off.

Prologue in Sermons: April 28

 

 

To Those Who Trade

April 28

(A word from the the Leimonarion about a monk who sold head coverings.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are honest merchants who have in their hearts the fear of God and therefore do not deceive buyers, and who trade only for their livelihood. And there are dishonest merchants, people of gain, who think only of one thing — how to deceive those who buy. For the correction of the latter we propose the following account.

"Daughters of Zion" (Kostis Palamas)

Kostis Palamas, in his poem “Daughters of Zion” from the poetic collection “The Immovable Life” (published in 1904), is inspired by the Gospel according to Mark the Evangelist, where Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome, who were “beholding from afar,” became witnesses of all the events that are referred to in the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus.

In this poem, Kostis Palamas praises the Holy Myrrhbearing Women as the purest examples of faith and love for Christ: they followed Him, served Him, mourned Him at the Cross, and were the first to witness His Resurrection. He portrays them as spiritually exalted—almost equal to angels—yet insists their greatness lies in their deeply human love, expressed through tenderness, devotion, and personal attachment to Christ not merely as God but as the suffering and beloved Man. Their longing, tears, and fidelity reveal a truth greater than preaching: that sincere, self-giving love for Christ transforms human nature itself and manifests divine glory more powerfully than words, with Mary Magdalene standing as the highest embodiment of this love.

 

In the final lines, Kostis Palamas reinterprets the empty tomb of Christ not as a place of death but as a symbol of a world transformed and renewed by the Resurrection: what seemed like an end is revealed as emptiness and defeat overcome. He turns to the Holy Myrrhbearing Women—Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary—as the first witnesses of this victory, asking them to share their overwhelming joy and revelation with all humanity, every nation and place. The “stone of misfortune” being rolled away by a radiant angel becomes an image of sorrow, despair, and death being lifted, so that even what is “dead”—both literally and spiritually—may receive new, eternal life. 

Holy Hieromartyr Symeon of Jerusalem the Brother of the Lord in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Symeon of Jerusalem was the son of Joseph, the betrothed, and the brother of James the Just. Christ Himself, our God, condescended to call him His brother, and would eventually adorn the throne of Jerusalem as Bishop, leading many souls to the light of salvation. For the sake of his faith he endured terrible torments, and in the end they crucified him, when he had already reached one hundred and twenty years of age.

Although Saint Symeon of Jerusalem does not belong to the twelve disciples of our Lord, nor is he especially known to many, he holds a distinct place in the firmament of the Church. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, among other praises that present his great personality, mentions in the Oikos of the Kontakion:

“Let us acclaim today Symeon the thrice-blessed, the one from the race of Abraham and from the line of David, the son of Joseph and kinsman of Jesus; as being greatly glorified by the kinship with Christ, splendidly adorned by the throne of the mother of the Churches, and gloriously beautified by the blood of martyrdom; for he also, as the Master, was fastened to the cross, having imitated His divine Passion.”

Prologue in Sermons: April 27

How the Rich Must Conduct Themselves in Order To Be Saved

April 27

(A homily of John Chrysostom, that one ought to show mercy first to one’s own household.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Once, after finishing the conversation with the rich young man, who, after the words of the Lord, “if you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21), went away from Him sorrowful, the Savior said to His disciples: “Truly I say to you, that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:23–24).

What does this mean? Does it mean that for the rich entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven is almost impossible? No. Saint John Chrysostom, explaining the above words of the Lord, says that “Christ by these words does not condemn wealth, but those who are attached to it.” Therefore, the Lord in these words points not to the impossibility for the rich to be saved, but only to the danger of wealth in the work of salvation for those attached to it.

Oration on the Myrrhbearing Women and on the Burial of the Divine Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and on Joseph of Arimathea, and on the Three-day Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (St. Gregory of Antioch)

Oration on the Myrrhbearing Women and on the Burial of the Divine Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and on Joseph of Arimathea, and on the Three-day Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

By St. Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch (+ 593)

This law of the Church also is praiseworthy, which prepares us to celebrate the remembrance of the depositing of Christ among the dead. For who, reflecting on the life-giving death of the Savior, will not consider that the dead in their coffins lie stretched out as in tents, awaiting the heavenly trumpet, which will call all of us to the dread day of Judgment?

And who, looking toward that saving tomb, does not draw near to the tombs as to chambers of life? Who, believing that the Lord has risen from the dead, does not behave in a way that shows that he himself also is about to rise, attaining the resurrection through Him?

Since therefore, obeying the good law of the Church, you who are watchful have run to those who sleep in the tombs, and the place constrains you but your longing gladdens you, because you are so many and have pressed together like a cluster of grapes — for this reason listen, as you desire, concerning the mystery of death, which one may learn, but no one is able to possess.

Homily for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women 

On Zeal and Courage of Soul

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

“And Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples that she had seen the Lord” (John 20:18)

Christ is risen!

Beloved faithful,

Among the great virtues that adorned the life of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women, the most excellent were their holy zeal for Christ, their piety, and their courage of soul. What vigilance and reinforcement the Jews and Pontius Pilate placed over the tomb of Christ our Savior, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him. A great stone they rolled over the Lord’s Tomb; with seals they sealed the stone; strong and armed soldiers they set as guards. Yet all these things did not frighten or terrify the Holy Myrrhbearing Women. Their great zeal, their holy piety, and their courage of soul overcame all the defenses of the Jews, taking no account of all the guarding of the Tomb. One thought and one purpose ruled their mind and heart: to serve with all faith and piety at the burial of the most precious Savior.

Solomon once said: “A manly woman — who will find?” (Proverbs 31:10 LXX) But behold here women more manly than men. The men, the disciples of Christ, hid themselves for fear of the Jews. Peter the Apostle, ardent and strong in faith, denied the Lord three times, for which afterward he repented and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). But the women, who by nature are fearful and weak, and who often become afraid even where there is no fear — here, in the service of the burial of our most holy Savior, show themselves stronger and more courageous than men. They are not afraid of the terror of the Jews, they do not tremble before the boldness of the soldiers, nor does the guard at the Lord’s Tomb disturb their hearts.